A LOT HAS BEEN written lately about “green fatigue.” We’ve heard reader comments along the lines of: “If I see one more green article, I’m going to scream.”

We understand. We have our own lament about the glut of green PR pitches jamming our e-mail and letter boxes every day. Some of the products touted are sensible (low-VOC paints), others farcical (a popcorn fork that saves “thousands of trees” by eliminating the need for paper napkins to wipe greasy fingers).

Doom-and-gloom types worry about a growing apathy or backlash against eco-conscious behaviors. I don’t see it. How many people are going to stop recycling, switch back to toxic paints and cleaning products and buy a gas-guzzling SUV because they are tired of bogus green claims?

In my view, the problem and its solution lie in language. A little restraint on the part of activists, producers, consumers and the media in deploying terms such as “organic,” “sustainable,” “natural,” “eco-” and of course “green” would go a long way. Ditto for “carbon footprint,” “embedded energy” and “life-cycle analysis.” All those things are important, of course. But can we all stop talking about them so much and make good choices quietly?

With any luck, in the near future, stories about formaldehyde-free cabinets and biodegradable detergents will be presented simply as stories about cabinets and detergent, because safer, healthier products will become the norm.

To that end, well-meaning Earth lovers should resist the urge to hurl eco-insults such as “greenwashing,” “green bling” or even “green porn” at manufacturers they view as insufficiently pure. Surely it’s a welcome development when SUV makers and chemical companies make baby steps toward cleaner, safer products.

In many ways, things are looking up for Mother Nature. Food in supermarkets is generally fresher and healthier than it was a decade ago. Cars are cleaner, and homes are more energy-efficient. We can do even better, to be sure. But the best way to get the widest number of people on board is to dump highfalutin talk about “mitigating climate change,” for example, in favor of plain-spoken ideas about living reasonably.

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